Poodle Lover

DigitalSpy has posted a very interesting interview with actor James Marsters, who plays the role of Captain John Hart in Torchwood. Marsters/Hart is back in the show this Friday night, for the second series finale - so just what have we got to look forward to? Over to James...

"Well I can't give too much away, but John has come into league with Grey. When we see him in the holographic image, that is a man who doesn't understand what is truly going on. That's the look of a man who's in way over his head and doesn't even know it yet. Things do change!"

Aside from Torchwood, James is a very busy man! "I just got back from filming Dragonball, so I'm healing from that. I'm going back to do Smallville next week and think I'll be doing Torchwood again before too long." Confirmation perhaps that this week's finale won't be the last we see of John Hart? Roll on year three!

James also spills the beans on the proposed Joss Whedon penned "Spike" movie - "Spike tries for the girl, he loses the girl, a monster attacks, he tries to defeat the monster and can't. But he wins a new pair of shoes for himself, because he can't fight any more and his old boots have given up on him. It sounds kind of stupid, but actually when you play the story out it's kind of funny. Joss said 'That's a great idea, I love it, it's cheap' - and it seemed like everything was set to go, but then it evaporated."

The reason? "I never really felt that Spike was a character that held Joss's imagination, frankly. He was not designed to be part of that show. In the original concept of the show, vampires were to be killed, they were not to be felt for or liked. When I came around suddenly he had two vampires everyone liked - first he had Angel to contend with, which was not his idea, and then he had Spike. In a way I was in peril with the theme of the show in his eyes. In the back of my mind when the shows [ended], I kind of wondered if he would ever come back to the character. I thought it would be better for him if he didn't deal with that character any more. I never thought he'd get [the movie] off the ground actually, even when he was telling me he was going to get it off the ground."

Would he want a role on Whedon's new FOX series, 'Dollhouse'? "He hasn't mentioned it to me, but if he wants me to come and read, I would love to. He's a great boss."

James will be appearing at the Rift convention later this month.

Meanwhile Chris Chibnall previews this Friday's finale, "Exit Wounds": "I would say John wants to get back at Jack. It kind of stems from the moment in episode one, 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang', when John discovers that Jack can live forever. The way James Marsters played that scene was really interesting and it was slightly different from what was on the page. Instead of being furious and bemused, he was hurt and affronted. I love that: he plays that scene as if Jack's immortality was a kind of personal insult to him, which it sort of is. So at the end of episode twelve, it's clear that he's come back to get his own back. There's a line he has at the beginning of episode 13 - 'you were very rude to me' - which is the impetus to start the story rolling there."

And what about series three?

"Not a question to ask me, to be honest, because I'm moving on to another show. We had conversations about the future of the show, in terms of where the show is going and everything like that. There are considerations, but not really, I just wanted to tell the best finale and the most emotional story in terms of the episode. I don't think there's much groundwork laid for series three in the finale of series two. I think you could pick it up the minute after series two finishes or you could pick it up three months later."

Chibnall has now landed the lead writer's job on ITV's Law & Order: UK - which should be appearing on a telly near you some time next year.